Was Bloodsport a breeding-movie for IFD & Filmark stars??? ( First part)

There is no doubt BLOODSPORT was a major reference for martial arts movies in the 80's & the pioneer of the " martial arts in the ring" subgenre ( well, Karate Kid was just a child's play & no retreat no surrender was a kind of Rocky rip off & one of the very best brucesploitation I have ever enjoyed). There is no doubt, as well, BloodSport was the movie made Jean Claude Van Damme a real star but beyond those facts. Bloodsport was also the "farm" where many (if not the most) of the actors who worked for IFD & Filmark started as fighters, extras or both. I recently re-watched it with some friends who were delighted remembering their teen years when they watched BloodSport on cinemas. In the other hand, I was just "collecting" faces & names that I have already seen in some IFD & Filmark productions and also, of course, other bigger titles from Hong Kong cinema.

-Paulo Tocha, the kickboxer beaten by Van Damme in the semifinals of bloodsport was the villain in Ninja Dragon opposite Richard Harrison but he was also an IFD henchman in Ninja Operation Knight & Warrior.

After Ninja Dragon where he played the main villain, Tocha just did a small cameo in Ninja Operation knight & Warrior

Of course, he had more ambitions so he moved to Filmark where he played lead roles.

He was more lucky in his two movies at Filmark since he played heroes in Silver Dragon ninja & Clash of the ninjas.

Tocha in Silver Dragon Ninja

But before his stardom started, he played a tiny cameo in the Italian-German production Code name : Wild Geese directed by Anthony M Dawson ( Antonio Margueretti) & shot in Hong Kong & the Philippines.

Ah, we can't forget he was named Bruce Stallion by Joseph Lai dued to whoever knows the reason. ( A clone of Bruce Lee & Sylvester Stallone???, Take note, Dr Frankenstenstein, for your next project)

-Eric Neff was the comrade in arms of Paulo Tocha but no so lucky as him since he never played for IFD while he worked with Tocha in Silver Dragon ninja as a black white ninja with french accent & similar role in Clash of the ninjas.

from monkey-man in Bloodsport to a black ninja in white in Filmark productions.

Eric Neff's career in HK was linked to Paulo Tocha from the beggining.

Eric Neff was on his own in Ocean shores Ninja Vs ninja as the hero playing again a black guy who is a white ninja.

-AP George was the referee in Bloodsport, he was chinese-malay & a casting agent. Mike Abbott told me AP George was the one who discover & introduce him into the movies while Mike was working as door porter in a club in hong kong.

Referee, talents agent, actor...

Devil ninja,

Mike Abbott told me AP George was an agent for IFD those days & he tried to put him on BloodSport but the casting was already done. TOOO BADDD.
We saw AP George as a villanous ninja in Ninja Operation 4: Thunderbolt Angels (aka Ninja Powerforce) & Zodiac America 2: Evil Destroyer

Do you think he can play a bad guy with this face??? He looks like an angel!!!!

-Wayne Archer was another big name who just played a tiny role in BloodSport as fighter defeated by Eric Neff. Mr Archer told me after his fighting scene, he worked one whole week in bloodsport as crowd extra.

Waiting to be beaten by Eric Neff

Wayne Archer later went to work in big productions as Armour of God (he bit Jacky chan's hand in one of the funniest shots of the movie), tiger on the beat & others, while in IFD played a big bunch of movies like Fatal Glory, Euro Crossings, The fighter the winner & a long etc including the Thunderkids saga. Mr Archer worked in Filmark movies as well in titles such as Golden Ninja invasion, Bionic ninja o Tommy Cheng's The shadow killer where he was credited as Daniel Green.

Archer always played bad guys at Filmark movies like Bionic Ninja

or Golden ninja invasion

-Nathan Chkuake was brazilian figter at the prologue of BloodSport, he & Eric Neff became very good friend since then. Nathan went to work on IFD in Hitman the Cobra and then went to work on bigger productions like Dragon from Russia (Check his interview in this blog).

A real gentleman in real life playing a bad guy at IFD Hitman the Cobra

-Ken Boyle played the Colonel who wants to prevent Van Damme to join the kumite, he played a tiny role here but later he went to work in IFD's Thunderkids Golden adventure & in Filmark's Though ninja shadow warrior where he played a chubby evil ninja leader.

I never expected to see Ken Boyle as a devilish ninja until I saw Tough ninja Shadow Warriors

DON'T MISS THE NEXT BLOODSPORT + IFD+ FILMARK chapter.